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Saturday, October 13, 2012

It is a rare thing, sad to say, when customer service pleasantly surprises you. A week before I got a call from Columbia I was ready to be done with the company altogether. Last year I bought new winter coats in the spring, when they were on sale, knowing the older two would need bigger jackets come Winter. Coats came and were hung up waiting until they would be needed.

Fast forward 7 months and Isaiah goes to put on his jacket only to have the zipper bust. Long story hopefully shortened- this type of jacket is one of those that has a zip in fleece so a simple zipper repair isn’t an option. (Believe me I asked!) The only option is to get an entire new jacket. I called the warranty department and sent in the broken jacket along with a copy of my receipt. In November I sent the part that was broken…not the whole kit ‘n caboodle. I received a call once that package had been received that I needed to send the outer shell as well. (Please, don’t ask me what I was thinking when I only sent in part of the jacket and not the whole thing.) That was done very close to Christmas. Between vacation time for employees and the holiday orders things were delayed.

I called a few times to hear the two pieces of the jacket sent in hadn’t been matched up so they were waiting. Then Spring came and I put it out of my mind since we were not needing the coat. But just a few weeks ago it dawned on me that I never heard from them again and never received a replacement jacket. I was a little bit unhappy at this revelation.

Less than two weeks after this I got a call, out of the blue, fromColumbia. They had been looking through their paperwork and realized they haven’t rectified my situation. (WHAT?!) The gentlemen I spoke with was wonderful. We talked colors and sizes and a new replacement jacket should be here this week.

I am so thankful that the Lord took care of this situation for me.

I also have to say I am beyond blessed to not have had to nag and convince Columbia to send me another coat. I don’t know about you but I find customer service calls to be a chore. Columbia Sportswear went up in my estimation of companies and I will most assuredly be buying from them again. In a sea of lemons (or sharks) this company stands out. Thanks so much Columbia!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

I would never have guessed one small chip would create such a big problem. Our glass pitcher we use for everyday juice bumped the bottom of the shelf above and the teeniest, tiniest chip you ever saw came off one of the lips. I threw the chip of glass away and rubbed my finger gently over the now broken area thinking it to be no big deal. We’ll finish the juice and I’ll let my Hubby know of the damage.

Well…wouldn’t you know my Beloved would go and discover that teeniest, tiniest chip all on his own? He decided to wash that pitcher that night unbeknownst to me (because the pitcher had sat on the counter for a fair amount of the day, he dumped it and set to getting it clean). Once he was finished washing he noticed the water was looking a funny color and thought perhaps the juice was the culprit. Not so. His newly sliced hand bleeding into the water was causing the color change. The funny part? Beloved never even felt his hand get cut. Even thought he didn’t feel it that pitcher did a humdinger of a job on his hand. He found me saying, “I think I have a problem.” That hand was sliced so cleanly and deeply you were peering down at white.

The troops were rounded up in their jammies and our local emergency room got a visit. Not only did he cut is hand deeply, he nicked the tendon over his right hand ring finger. Stitches lightly added came home on his hand as well as a Monday morning appointment to see a surgeon.

Now, I don’t know how much you know about tendons but they are a delicate thing, to be sure. The tendon is a bit like a rubber band. Once it is cut, if you continue to stretch it, similar to a rubber band, it will continue to tear until it rips completely apart. Once the tendon snaps it retracts towards the point of connection. Then the surgery becomes a much bigger deal than repairing a nick. They have to cut up the line of the tendon until they find it and reattach it to the other end. Thankfully, Beloved’s was a nick and not a complete tear.

Monday he saw the surgeon and by Wednesday he had outpatient surgery to repair the nick. (I say nick because that is the wording the hospital staff used. However once surgery was performed it became known the tendon was sliced 85% through. That wasn’t what I had in mind when I thought ‘nick’. : ) ) Because Beloved’s tendon wasn’t sliced through completely they only had to reopen the original cut and add some micro-sutures The hand is healing nicely so far.

I call it his Frankenstein hand. : ) I’m loving and supportive like that. Seriously though, he is doing great and recovering wonderfully. Thankfully with his job such as it is this was a small bump in the road. We are several weeks out from the initial injury and while he is still undergoing P.T. all is healing nicely.

All this to say, if you ever chip a glass, no matter how big or small, it should go immediately into the recycle bin! If you could have seen the size of the chip it would be unbelievable the amount of damage that has come from it.

Oh, I am sure you will believe me when I tell you my husband’s conclusion after all this: dishes are really too dangerous for him to do anymore and so he should be done with that chore altogether. (Isn’t that just like a man? : ))

Zephaniah 3:17

About Me

I am thankful to have a wonderful husband and 4 beautiful children with whom I stay at home. We are a homeschooling family with only the oldest two attending the school of Mom. : ) Laundry is my nemisis and dusting is something I rarely do. (please don't tell my mom!)